Ciel in Nightmare
by Kael-bail
Summary: Based on American Magee's Alice. Ciel finds himself trapped in a distorted Wonderland, and has to fight his way out, or die trying.
1. Chapter 1

"_What's wrong, Alice?"_

"_My mother and father…died."_

"_What else is wrong, Alice?"_

"_Something is…broken."_

"_What's broken, Alice?"_

"…_I am."_

_-From American Magee's Alice_

When Ciel received a small package from Lau, needless to say he was a bit surprised. There were no traces of opium on it, and it seemed to be sincere.

"I heard rumor you are having a bit of insomnia," Sebastian said, reading the letter attached aloud. "I picked this up on the black market; it is said to have an affect on dreams. Maybe it will be of some use to you." Sebastian looked up, watching Ciel. "Seems sincere enough."

"Quite," the young Earl grunted, holding of the item in question. It seemed to be a small, handheld mirror. Along the outer edges of the mirror, vines were etched. Small faces, such as a cat and a rabbit, were also etched along side card suits. Along the handle was carved the words, "Two doors in, one door out." He raised an elegant brow, looking at Sebastian critically. "A mirror?" He turned the mirror over in his hands. "A mirror is supposed to help me get to sleep?" He placed the item flush against the desk. "Lau's gone off the deep end."

The butler just smiled. "May as well humor him. I'll go put this on your bedside table." With a curt bow, Sebastian took the mirror and left, leaving Ciel to scowl outside.

Through all his lessons, and all the business meetings, Ciel found himself thinking about the mirror on his bed table. More specifically, the carving on the handle. Two doors in, one door out. What did it mean? He wasn't sure. All he knew was that it bothered him. He couldn't place a finger on it, but something about the mirror bothered him beyond belief.

The evening was far too long for him. A part of him was just curious enough to see if the mirror would help him. Another part of him just wanted to look at it, to analyze and mentally take it apart and dissect it. He impatiently waiting through his evening rituals: his bath, Sebastian dressing him for the night, and discussing current issues with the demon butler. Sebastian, however, sensed his master's haste, and quickened the rituals, putting him to bed and leaving his young master in record time.

Ciel sat in near darkness, his only light coming from the moon outside his window. He eyed the mirror cautiously; the reflective surface glinted in greeting. Slowly, he picked it up, handling it gently. He angled the mirror so he could read the handle again. "Two doors in," he read quietly. "One door out." He scowled. "What on earth could that mean? If you can enter from a door, can't you exit from it as well?"

"_That is the question, isn't it?"_ Ciel dropped the mirror in his lap; he had heard that voice, loud and clear. It wasn't in his head—at least, he was certain it wasn't. _"But I have another. Why is a raven like a writing desk?"_

The young Earl's throat felt dry as he swallowed hard. After a long moment—and after a moment of looking around for the voice's source—he answered, "How is a Raven like a writing desk? Simple; Poe wrote on both."

There was a low hum, and Ceil swore he saw the mirror light up briefly. _"Clever one, are you?" _There was a low chuckle that made the hair on the back of Ciel's neck stand on end. _"There's no life for the likes of you here. However…" _The voice paused, and the mirror's surface seemed to light up again. Much against his instinct, the young man knelt over it, trying to feebly find the light source—of course, this had to be a trick. _"I believe the Red Queen may have a use for you…"_

It took Ciel a moment to realize he was falling; his first thought was that he was laying down, but since when did he lay face first? Then he realized that he wasn't in his bed, or even his room; everything around him was spinning, and it was starting to make him sick to his stomach. He closed his eyes tightly. '_It's just a dream,'_ he told himself, breathing heavily through his nose. '_Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a—'_

_**THUNK!**_

The young man's eyes felt like they were about to pop out of his head as he hit the ground roughly. He struggled for a moment, gasping loudly, willing his lungs to stop aching and just take in the air they desperately needed. After a few minutes, he pushed himself up onto his knees, looking around him. "…definitely not in the manor anymore…" And right he was. It looked as though he was in a tunnel of sorts; the walls of dirt seemed to be held together by what looked like enormous tree roots. Various clocks peppered the walls, all showing different times; some were broken, some were beyond working, and others seemed to be in perfect condition. "What the hell is this?" he muttered aloud, standing and turning in place, frowning.

"Well it's obviously a rabbit hole," a voice purred behind him, making Ciel spin around. Then he was confused. All that was behind him was a handsome black cat, which licked its paw calmly. Ciel raised a brow. He then passed the cat, covering his nose and mouth; last thing he needed was for his allergies to act up now. "Well, that was rude, Ciel."

He spun again, glowering at the cat, which purred in his general direction. "Was that you?" He stopped, rubbing his temples. "No, of course not, cats don't talk. What am I thinking?" He went to leave, only to see a full grin on the cat's face. Needless to say, Ciel was a bit disturbed, his eye twitching a little. "And last I checked, cats don't SMILE either. This has to be a dream."

"Believe what you will, be it a dream or reality," the cat—yes, the cat—told him, walking calmly over to his side. "Nevertheless, it doesn't change the situation at hand. And if you play your cards right, Ciel, you will survive." The feline let out a soft purr before seeming to strut ahead of him.

'_I have to be losing my mind_,' Ciel hissed to himself, before trotting after the cat. "What do you mean by that?"

"Which part, little Alice?" Ciel frowned at that. "The situation being stuck as it is—or your survival? Or perhaps the means of survival?"

"My survival, thank you very much! And how do I get out of here? Where is here, anyway?" He opened his mouth to continue, only for the can to turn, startling him a bit.

"You ask too many questions. If you want to live, you may want to stop that." He leapt up onto a root by Ciel's head, strangely claret eyes peering at him. "All will be answered as you go along. For now, your life is dependent on your silence, and your ability to hold your own in battle."

Ciel nearly choked. "B-battle? I can shoot, but I've never fought anyone before!"

"Guns are no good here. Besides, you don't have it on you do you?" Ciel didn't need to answer that—it was under his pillow. "As I thought." The cat turned slightly, using its paws to pull a knife out of the dirt wall, dropping it at Ciel's feet. "There. Take that. If it's kill or be killed, I'm sure you know how to answer that." Ciel stared at the knife for a moment before taking it gingerly in his hands. He felt squeamish; it looked as though it had been used before. Blood had stained the blade and handle-he tried to tell himself it was only rust. "My apologies for its condition. Needless to say, this isn't the first time a little Alice has wandered down this path."

"Why do you keep referring to me as Alice?" Ciel finally blurted, startling the poor feline. "First of all, I am not a girl. Second, I know you know my name, you said it earlier!"

"My my, touchy are we?" If the Earl didn't know any better, he would say the cat looked smug. "We call every stranger who wanders this way our Alice. And hopefully, each Alice that passes by will end the tyranny."

"I'm guessing there as yet to be a successful…Alice?" At the cat's purr, he glanced down at the blade. "…you think I'm the right Alice?"

"Only if you survive, of course."

He let out a sigh. "This has to be a dream…"


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ciel reluctantly followed the cat, clutching the knife solidly in his hand. The cat was telling the tale of the "first alice," as they had started calling them. "The first Alice was a tormented soul. Sadly, all Alice wanted was affection and love." There was a purr. "Alice wandered through Wonderland, which was much different than what you see now. It was a flourishing land of wonder, if you pardon the pun. But you see, the Red Queen was taking over Wonderland, and destroying everything we knew. She was quite a bitch, if you pardon the language." Ciel waved him on. "So we begged Alice to save us, and take down the Red Queen. And Alice did." The cat beamed with pride for a moment. Then it faltered. "However…As I had said, Alice wanted love. So Alice took the Red Queen's throne." He looked pointedly at Ciel. "Can you guess what happened next?"

"Alice became obsessed with power, and now needs to be taken out." The feline grinned, a soft purr reverberating in it's throat. "Is that what you want from me?"

"Precisely. You are the new Alice, set out to take care of the Red Queen."

"Hmn. I don't know about that, cat." the young earl frowned. "If you pardon the pun, you're barking up the wrong tree. I don't kill."

"That there is a lie, or else why would you own a gun at your age?" Ciel fell silent. "I see I've made my point." The cat stopped, turning to face Ciel. A single claw pointed at the knife in his hand. "That very blade is the same one the first Alice used through Wonderland. Now it's your turn."

"You make it sound like this is the only thing that will defeat the Queen…" Ciel glanced down at the old blade again, looking skeptical.

"Indeed, however, I'm afraid to tell you that that blade will not save you from the Red Queen. In fact, you need to reach the Red Queen first." The feline eyed Ciel a bit. "This is simply a beginners tool. If you bypass your ignorance and judgment, you may survive."

"You mean I'll have access to other weapons?"

"Not just now. Perhaps later, once you've realized and accepted your calling." Ciel rolled his eyes, scowling at the cat and putting his hands on his hips. He opened his mouth to chastise the cat, only to stop as he heard the faint sound of footsteps-correction, multiple sets of footsteps, all hurriedly running in his direction. The cat's fur fluffed, and he arched his back, hissing loudly in the direction of the steps. "Now is the time to prove yourself, little Alice. For your sake, I hope you are the savior of Wonderland."

"And if I'm not?" The cat gave him a look that clearly read, "Then you're fucked," before scampering to the nearby trees. '_Right, I would die.' _The young Earl swallowed hard. '_Let us hope I AM the savior, for my own sake.'_ He braced himself, the arm with the knife held slightly away from his body. He swallowed hard, bidding himself to stop shaking.

The look on Ciel's face when he saw what had been making the noise, could only be called comical disbelief. This would also be the point, were it a cartoon, where he would look at the audience and say something along the lines of, "you've got to be shitting me." However, since this is not the case, a description is in order: his mouth dropped open, not unlike a fish waiting for it's dinner-or a tunnel, that too-and his eyebrows were furrowed in utter confusion, as if his brain hadn't fully processed what he was staring at.

The person…creature…_thing…_before him looked at first glance like it was nothing more than cardboard. Cardboard with arms, legs, a face, and a weapon. It talked and walked, as did the many more behind it. They were decorated with the different card suits; mostly Hearts and Diamonds. It wasn't until he was being charged at that Ceil registered the "oh shit" feeling in his gut.

The young man dodged clumsily tripping over a nearby tree root. He then swung the blade blindly, silently hoping the cardboard thing would fall. Certainly, it fell apart, c ut cleanly in half, but ciel was not expecting the blood that splashed across his front in a pleasant arc. He stared, eyes wide and mouth open in a silent scream, shock freezing him until he felt the tip of a spear slice his arm. He swiped repeatedly, the only mantra in his head being, "kill or be killed."

Eerie silence permeated the area, and Ciel's startled and ragged breaths echoed in his ears. Blood coated the Earth, his clothes, and dripped from the blade. The attacker's "bodies" peppered the area, cut in clean halves. Ciel nearly jumped from his skin upon hearing a polite clap behind him. He spun around, blade extended, his heart pounding. In the same direction the feline had run, a man stepped forward, clapping. "I am impressed, little Alice," he said, grinning. "After how you had spoken, I did not believe you could do it~"

"What-? Who are you? What were those things? Why did they bleed? Why am I still here?" These questions and many more tumbled from Ciel's lips faster than he could register them. The man stood there, smiling. "Why do you look like Sebastian?"

"Sebastian, hmn?" The man finally purred, cat ears twitching at the top of his head. "Nobel name, I must say." He pointed at one of the "body" halves. "These are the card guards of Wonderland. They work under the Red Queen." He giggled a bit. "Rumor has it that they were once humans." Ciel made a look of shock. "But in wonderland you never know what is, and what isn't." He made a gentle wave of his hand, bowing low. "As for me, call me what you wish…" There was a puff of smoke, and he was the same black cat from before. "But most call me the Cheshire Cat…"

"The Cheshire Cat…" he hummed, watching the cat jump proudly on one of the card halves, purring. "Well, since your human form looks like him, I shall call you Sebastian. Does that sound fair?" The cat meowed in approval. "Alright then…" He sighed, resisting the urge to rub his temples. "Sebastian would be pleased to know he's a black cat in this dream…"

"You still believe this is a dream?" Feline Sebastian purred, looking skeptical. "Thinking that way will only get you killed, little Alice."

"Well, what else could it be?" Ceil blurted, throwing his arms out in desperation, startling the feline. "Bleeding cards and, forgive me, talking cats? This kind of thing only happens in dreams!"

"Sebastian" jumped up on Ciel's shoulder, startling him. He looked him in the eye, sending a chill down the Earl's spine. "This is an all new reality, little Alice. If you can't accept this, you will never make it back to the reality you know and love. You will die here." There was a long silence between them, before the cat smiled and mewled happily, jumping from his perch on Ciel's shoulder, happily to the ground. He turned, looking over his shoulder at the young man. "Come along, Ciel. There is much to do, and such little time to do it."

Ciel stared after the feline, frowning. He was still certain this was all a dream; how could it not be? He glanced around at the gnarled, strangely colored trees around him(Only in dreams would they be pink and blue and purple), and then at the quickly darkening sky(why was it red, of all things?). Dream or not, he had to find a place for the night-well, if it ever WAS night here. You would never know in this strange place. There was a loud, "ahem" that brought Ciel back to his senses.

"Unless of course," Sebastian droned, "you would rather stay out in the open where the rest of the queen's guards could find you…" His tail swished twice before he continued walking into a densely wooded area. Ciel stared for a moment, before glancing around. After a moment's thought, he jogged after the cat, deciding that was his best solution.

* * *

Alright readers, I have a note for you! As of November 1st, I will be doing NaNoWriMo. For those who don't know, NaNoWriMo is a challenge to write a 50,000 word story in one month. So, for the month of November, there will be no updates. I will see how much of this story I can crank out in 3 days. If I can, I will post a new chapter for Halloween. if not, the next update won't be until after NaNoWriMo. Until then, later!


	3. Note from the author

This is just a quick apology for you guys. Between NaNoWriMo in November and the holidays, Ciel in Nightmare got away from me. However, I am working on chapter 3 right now, and shall hopefully have the chapter up this week. I think you all for your patience and beautiful reviews.


	4. Chapter 3

A/N: I...am so sorry for this wait...it's a shit tastic excuse, but honestly, NaNoWriMo killed my muse, and I haven't been able to write at ALL. I'm so sorry about the lateness of this. Hopefully it's good enough to keep your appetites. As usual, leave me a review, and perhaps I'll get the next chapter up sooner.

* * *

Chapter 3

If it weren't for the cat's constant urgings to follow him, Ciel would have said, "fuck this" about the fourth time he got his shorts stuck to a set of brambles, ripping them effectively. Frankly, the young Earl wasn't happy. He fought his way through the undergrowth, trying to keep up with the Cheshire cat, who weaved easily through the branches and bushes as though it were nothing.

It wasn't until they reached a circular clearing that the cat and Ciel stopped, Ciel gasping slightly for air. In the clearing, signs were nailed to the surrounding trees. They pointed several directions-left, right, up, down-and all read "this way". Ciel glanced at the signs curiously, before watching the cat. Sebastian was walking around the circle's perimeter, looking at each sign closely, as though looking for something specific. After a long moment, he stopped, before jumping up on a branch. The ground began to shake, knocking Ciel to the ground.

Before his eyes, Ciel saw the trees begin to part, revealing a quaint cottage and long table, covered with tea cups, kettles and various treats. Sebastian jumped down from the tree branch, scampering over to the table, and two people Ciel suddenly noticed at the table. He stood up slowly, brushing the dirt from his torn clothes simply out of habit, and followed cautiously.

"Oh gentlemen!" Sebastian called, strolling across the table. "I have wondrous news!"

A man in a large rimmed, long hat hummed loudly, tossing a shovel of sugar into his teacup. "News?" he mimicked. "The only good news is the never coming news of the Red Queen's demise~! Or tea, that too…"

"Ah," Sebastian purred, arching his back into a loving pet from the hatted man. "But what if I were to tell you I have Alice?"

"Alice?" A man with sandy colored hair and…rabbit ears…blurted, holding his teacup closely to himself, eyes darting suspiciously. "If the Red Queen finds out she'll-" There was a pause as the man looked down. "…cake…"

"Mmn, yes Bard, my dear March Hare," Sebastian muttered. "The Red Queen already knows Alice is here." The Rabbit-man yelped, hiding under the table. "We are only dropping by for help."

"Help?" the Hatter cooed, laughing hysterically. He held up his shovel. "Picking out a grave for the dear Alice already, huhu?" He grinned broadly, scratching the cat's ears with hilariously long, black nails. "Not much faith in her?"

"_HE_ is doing fine!" Ciel stepped up, scowling at the man's direction. "_HE_ has already held his own against the card guards!"

"_Barely_…" Sebastian purred.

"After no help from the likes of you," Ciel hissed, taking a nearby seat, folding his arms over his chest as his legs crossed. "If I remember correctly, you ran with your tail 'tween your legs."

Sebastian let out a soft purr, padding over to the disgruntled Earl with a gentle flick of his tail. "But little Alice," he hummed. "I had to know if you are _THE_ Alice…"

The hatted man hummed softly. "He is quite smaller than the first Alice, isn't he? Huhu…" He held out a thin hand. "May I see your palm, Alice?"

"My name is Ciel Phantomhive," he barked, begrudgingly letting the man take his hand. "Can you all _PLEASE_ stop calling me Alice?"

The man ignored him, instead tracing his nail over the lines in Ciel's palm; Sebastian was sitting on the table beside the Earl, purring contentedly, while the man with rabbit ears was peeking over the table in curiosity. "My my…! This little doll is damaged too! Mother and father died when you were ten, eh? Tch, truly tragic. Ooooh there's more, but we won't talk about that here, eh?" He let out a demented giggle as Ciel shifted uncomfortably. "However…you seem to have a strong will…determined. Is this a want for revenge I see, hmn? Huhu, you are indeed an interesting individual, little Alice! So many little layers…"

Ciel tore his hand back, scowling; the rabbit ducked back under the table at the sudden movement. "If you are quite finished…" he murmured.

"Well, Hatter? What have you decided?" the cat hummed, walking back over to the man.

The Hatter pet the cat thoroughly, scratching at his back and ears. "I do believe we have our champion who will defeat the Red Queen." He made a startled face, tapping his nail against his jaw. "Goodness, I think I just had déjà vu," he murmured, causing the rabbit to go into a fit of giggles. The man smiled at the young earl, who promptly shivered. "Oh, little Alice, do you have a long road ahead."

He opened his mouth to respond, when he heard a loud, panicked scream heading their way. Sebastian's fur fluffed as he leaped under the Hatter's hat; the hare yelped and hid under the table. Ciel swallowed hard. "Who or what was that?"

The hatter mused. "That would be Miss Meirin, our dormouse!" He announced, standing slowly. "And if she's crying out, we have a problem." He moved surprisingly quick, grabbing a nearby brownie square. "Here, eat this."

Ciel stared incredulously at him. "What? Now?"

"Do as I say," he barked. Ciel couldn't see his eyes passed the silver bangs in his face, but he could feel the burning gaze. He frowned and took the brownie, nibbling on it. "Good that should be enough," he barked, snatching the brownie away.

Ciel was about the yell, when he felt a strange sensation. And slowly, everything was growing taller-or rather, Ciel was shrinking. His clothes quickly began to swamp him, until his was barely the size of a mouse. "What's going on?" he yelled, panic in his voice.

The Hatter picked him up and plopped him in an empty teapot. "We'll explain later," he hissed, shoving Ciel's clothes inside the pot as well.

Just as he capped the teapot, and dormouse, Meirin made her appearance. "Please tell me you have the Alice…?" she hissed. At a nod, she sighed. "The knights are coming…!"

"Thank you for announcing our arrival…" Meirin squeaked, transforming into a mouse and diving into a nearby cup. "Now then…enemies of the queen…tell me, where is this new Alice I've heard SO much about?"

"I do believe we have only one Alice," Sebastian purred, licking his paw. He stopped. "That's right! It's the damn bloody Red Alice you call your queen! Dare say you are wasting your time here…!" The hatter, hare and dormouse all laughed. Hatter kept his hand over the top of the teapot, to keep Ciel from being caught.

Ciel could hear the sound of a sword being unsheathed. "Listen, you insolent bafoons. I want Alice. And I want Alice now. Now I will ask again. Where. Is. Alice?"

"Up yer arse," the Hatter hissed, swinging his shovel at the guards. The hare gave a manic giggle and pulled out a large flame thrower. The crackle of flames split the air, followed by a cacophony of manic giggles and clanging metal. Ciel moved about the teapot, trying to find a way out. The teapot suddenly rolled, causing Ciel to lose his footing with a yelp, falling into the motion of the teapot rolling, followed by what he could tell was a steep fall. For a split moment, he panicked, afraid the teapot would shatter and he would be found; who knew what would happen if these guards found him?

There was a jolt, and he slammed into the side of the teapot. "Are you alright, Alice?" came the mousey female voice from earlier; Ciel guessed she had caught the teapot before it hit the ground. "The fighting is over for now…we can let you out." He felt the teapot being tipped up to it's correct position, and breathed a sigh of relief when he felt it be set back on the table.

The Earl looked up just as the teapot lid was lifted. Sebastian smiled down at him in his cat form, before plucking the now too-big clothes from the pot. "On moment, little Alice." He shut the pot, making Ciel pout for a moment. There was an odd sound…and when the lid was opened again, Sebastian dropped a navy blue jumper inside. "Try this on for size."

Ciel considered it for a moment, before sighing and putting it on as told. He then looked up. "Can I come out now?" He received no answer-instead, the teapot was tipped and he found himself sitting in the palm of Sebastian's hand. "You could have warned me!" He then glanced around at the others; everyone was staring at him.

"Are you really the Alice that will save us?" Meirin asked, watching him with increasing curiosity. "You're rather small…"

"I shrunk him, Meirin, dear," the hatter explained, fixing his….blood-stained….hat.

"Oh, I see…"

Ciel, with a bit of difficulty, stood up in Sebastian's hand. "Whether I am or not isn't up to me," he muttered bitterly. "Everyone else around this place has already decided it for me. So I suppose, yes, I am." He was a little irate, but he could tell there was no use in arguing it.

"What are you going to do?" the rabbit-eared man asked, wiping blood off his flame thrower, which he seemed to have used for blunt force trauma. "I mean…there's a long way to go. Not to mention all that the Red Queen has…You're not going to make it."

"Such faith," Sebastian hissed at the rabbit. He then looked to Ciel again. "We have a long way to go. Shall we start?"

"But where in this God forsaken land are we going?" Ciel asked, throwing his arms out in frustration. "I've let you take me deeper into this mayhem, only to find I'm going to be killed if found by the wrong people, and I have no idea what I'm going to be able to accomplish at this size!"

The former cat smiled softly. "You are not in this alone. We will be visiting the White Queen, and gain Allies that will be of much help."

"There's a White Queen too?" the child yelled. "WONDERFUL. Why can't she handle this crap?"

"The Red Queen," the hatter began. "Stole her crown. Without her crown, she has no power here."

Ciel stared. "…wonderful. Just…fantastic…." He sighed and turned back to Sebastian. "Well…now what?"

Sebastian placed him on the table, before turning back into his feline form. "Now…we ride." He gave Ciel no time to react, picking him up and tossing him on his back. "Hold on, Alice~" He took off, jumping from the table, and running into the underbrush.


End file.
